WOOD HEATING * Striking an efficient balance in the wood-burning debate http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2008795762_ecoconsumer28m.html Although the efficiency of new woodstoves and fireplaces continues to improve, concerns have grown about the hazards of wood smoke, especially from older or improperly used units. TOXICS * EPA to test schools' air for toxic chemicals http://www.king5.com/localnews/environment/stories/NW_030209ENB-AP_epa-test-school-air-JM.1bbc67c8.html Researchers at the University of Washington will closely watch the testing in hopes of finding out why Washington state has one of the highest rates of child asthma in the country * Jackson Announces EPA Schools Monitoring Initiative http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f5337/46a04c8cef0cfa8a8525756d005dd486!OpenDocument Lisa Jackson, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, announced today a new initiative to further measure levels of toxic air pollution near many schools across the country for better protection. EPA and its state partners will prioritize and monitor schools for more extensive air quality analysis, looking closely at schools located near large industries and in urban areas. * EPA Proposes to Reduce Air Toxics from Stationary Diesel and Gas-Fired Engines http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f5337/0ba83459c8cf410b8525756a0065108a!OpenDocument For the first time, EPA is proposing to set emission limits for formaldehyde, benzene, acrolein and other air toxics from certain stationary diesel and gas-fired engines. In 2008, over 1 million of these engines generated electricity, powered equipment and operated during emergencies at industrial, agricultural and other facilities. The proposed limits would apply to engines located at smaller sources of air toxics. HEALTH * City Kids Find the Breathin' Is Easier Elsewhere http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20090303/hl_hsn/citykidsfindthebreathiniseasierelsewhere;_ylt=Apfce8UIAfGqjf1wK8Qt6LVpl88F After a week away from urban air pollution, children with mild persistent asthma begin to show dramatic changes in their respiratory health. A study in the March issue of Pediatrics reports that just seven days after a group of school-age children left the city for a rural area, airway inflammation went down and lung function increased... Previous studies have found that exposure to particulate matter from air pollution increases the use of asthma medicines and leads to more hospitalizations for asthma, according to background information in the current study. Other pollutants have been associated with a predisposition to respiratory infections, wheezing and a stronger reaction to inhaled allergens. * Breathing problems spike on hot days http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090303/hl_nm/us_breathing_problems;_ylt=AtpXXagtav4s_ldFKsboBYBpl88F Hospitalizations for respiratory problems rise on hot, humid days -- foretelling what global warming may bring -- a study of 12 European cities suggests... The findings are important, the researchers write, because climate change is expected to increase "extreme weather events" and boost air pollution -- which could exacerbate respiratory ills like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). CLIMATE * Hundreds rally for legislation on climate change http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090302/ap_on_go_co/congress_power_plant;_ylt=AlM19Bme.Q_AkCmawiRbqYcPLBIF Hundreds of demonstrators are urging Congress to pass legislation to reduce greenhouse gases, and they're using the Capitol power plant as a symbol of the problem. Despite attempts by lawmakers to clean up the power plant in southeast Washington, it still burns coal and accounts for a third of the legislative branch's greenhouse gas emissions. Monday's rally on Capitol Hill was being followed by a march to the power plant, where some demonstrators planned to block entrances and get arrested. * EU confident Obama will follow its lead on climate change http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090302/sc_afp/euusclimateenvironment;_ylt=ArIB1NC4WHisyO9ha0nAHilpl88F The EU presidency is confident that the United States under President Barack Obama "will follow the leadership of the European Union", by setting ambitious mid-term goals for cutting greenhouse gases. * Scientists meet to save Lascaux cave from fungus http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090226/ap_on_sc/eu_france_cave_drawings;_ylt=Ak9UiPxz8oRhb4xrt_YOV9oPLBIF Geologists, biologists and other scientists convened Thursday in Paris to discuss how to stop the spread of fungus stains - aggravated by global warming - that threaten France's prehistoric Lascaux cave drawings. * Carbon pollution: Gordon Brown is bottom of the class http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090302/en_afp/climatewarmingcarboneurope;_ylt=Ag3iUj6BKla4zHiQqyMXQrRpl88F British Prime Minister Gordon Brown causes more greenhouse-gas emissions than three other major European leaders, according to a report on Monday in Terra Eco, a French environmental monthly. * Underwater animals fart greenhouse gas: study http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090303/sc_afp/germanydenmarkclimatewarminganimalscienceoffbeat;_ylt=Apf.dzRti7cTRyLzrvmYdwlpl88F Aspetsberger added that no quantitative data were available, but that it could be "seriously detrimental" to the climate if nitrate pollution continues to rise the way it has over recent years. * UN report warns fishing industry on climate change http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090302/sc_afp/unfaofishenvironmentclimatewarming;_ylt=Ath7_l_j5YaCu0j_kc9hy1lpl88F The fishing industry must do more to confront the effects of climate change as well as get a grip on the perennial problem of overfishing, said a UN report to be published Monday. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) report said responsible fishing practices must be more widely implemented and called for new strategies to cope with climate change. ENERGY * EPA Unveils Top 25 U.S. Cities with the Most Energy Star Buildings http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f5337/01fe9c479e0648248525756e00596c16!OpenDocument The list is headed by Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Washington, D.C., Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis-St Paul, Atlanta and Seattle... Energy use in commercial buildings and manufacturing plants accounts for nearly half of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and nearly half of energy consumption nationwide. For more than a decade, EPA has worked with businesses and organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through this voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. GREEN JOBS * Commentary: National race for green jobs is on; let's win it http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090301/OPINION03/703019998/-1/OPINION#National.race.for.green.jobs.is.on.lets.win.it We are polluting and overloading the entire climate with greenhouse gases. We have a choice: We can act, or we can suffer the consequences of our inaction... The newest economic race will be green technology. Whoever develops the right products and ideas will create great jobs, because there are 6 billion people on this planet who want to buy smart things that save money and the earth. TRANSPORTATION * Car-free days returning to six Seattle streets http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008804872_streetclosed03m.html Six streets in Seattle will be cordoned off on certain days this year for "Seattle Summer Streets," Mayor Greg Nickels' program to open streets to pedestrians, bicyclists and neighborhood festivals. Last year's launch of the car-free program had mixed results. An event in Rainier Valley drew 300 to 500 people. The Alki Beach car-free day drew praise for a mellow, family-friendly vibe, compared with normal car traffic, though some merchants complained that they'd lost business. On Capitol Hill, rain kept people away, and the city ended up waiving 21 parking tickets and reimbursing 13 drivers whose parked cars had been towed. * Excise tax for ferries resurfaces -- Worried riders come up with 'Plan C' to fund the boats http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/402024_ferries03.html Riders, shaken by proposals to cut service in the coming two decades, developed a long-range plan of their own that proposes resurrecting motor-vehicle excise taxes, annual license fees and more gas tax money as ways to keep service as it is and expand it as the population grows. They say they're open to a number of tax measures, not just the excise charge. NOTE: If the hyperlink to the article fails, contact Consuelo Davis. Consuelo Davis Communications Dept. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency 206-689-4074 consueloD@pscleanair.org Bill Smith Senior Environmental Specialist City of Tacoma Solid Waste Management 3510 S. Mullen Street Tacoma, WA 98409 253-593-7719 Phone 253-591-5547 Fax